Last edit by: mia
Reminder: you must enroll and select UA as your airline BEFORE making a reimbursable purchase (this includes MPX). Click HERE.
Caution: As of December 2016, it appears that American Express no longer reimburses MPX transactions.
Credits generally appear 3-4 days after making the transaction. No need to worry unless they don't appear after a week.
TravelBank funds can only be used on United and United Express flights. Partner flights are not eligible.
Gift Registry and Gift Cards
The consensus is that United gift registry contributions will be reimbursed and gift card purchases will not. So
There seems to be no downside to contributing in sub-200 dollar chunks since the gift registry creates a single pool of cash. However there are lots of reports of successful fee credits from a single $200 donation. Whether done as on $200 transaction or eight $25 transactions, the result is that one will have $200 in ones TravelBank.
PLEASE NOTE: When you establish a gift registry for the first time, it will take 24 hours before the funds in the registry are available to use toward payment of a flight.
Do I have to join the united.com Club ($25 annual fee) to use my TravelBank?
Apparently not.
Does spending TravelBank credit count towards PQD?
Yes-for revenue flights only
Airline Taxes on Award Tickets- Log into united.com
- Set up a gift registry for yourself
- Use the link in your gift registry web page to send an announcement to your email address. This better, faster, and more reliable than searching for your gift registry, especially if you have a common name. Even someone with an unusual surname like mre5765 has could not find his registry after creating it.
- Log out of united.com
- Follow the Make Contribution in your gift registry email
- Contribute using your Amex platinum card
There seems to be no downside to contributing in sub-200 dollar chunks since the gift registry creates a single pool of cash. However there are lots of reports of successful fee credits from a single $200 donation. Whether done as on $200 transaction or eight $25 transactions, the result is that one will have $200 in ones TravelBank.
PLEASE NOTE: When you establish a gift registry for the first time, it will take 24 hours before the funds in the registry are available to use toward payment of a flight.
Do I have to join the united.com Club ($25 annual fee) to use my TravelBank?
Apparently not.
Does spending TravelBank credit count towards PQD?
Yes-for revenue flights only
Doesn't seem to work anymore; see post 179 http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/25297196-post179.html and #391
MPX (MileagePlus X)It appears that this is no longer working. See this post: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/27589581-post1496.html.
Economy Plus feesThere are recent reports of this working on a per ticket basis. No recent report of an Economy Plus annual subscription being reimbursed.
$200 airline fee reimbursement reports: UA only. [2010 - 2016]
#2461
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: 718
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum, IHG Diamond
Posts: 965
What do you mean all platinum accounts look frozen? Frozen in terms of what? Using the points or actually using the cc to spend ?
#2462
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 17,404
Yeah. I don't want to make it my life's work to get my AMEX Plat reimbursement. The info here seems almost random. Is there a blogger or other forum with more actionable intelligence? I spent less than 10 minutes on this reimbursement last year.
#2463
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,952
Have you read the Wikipost at the top of the thread?
I suggest that you discount recent reports from those who have made MPX purchases and were not reimbursed within a few days. American Express processes in batches. Periodically there are periods when fee reimbursements are not made. Each time this occurs there are those who assume that American Express has just now realized that they have been reimbursing gift card purchases for several years. This could happen, and when there is conclusive evidence it will appear in the Wikipost. It has not yet happened.
American Express knows this is a charade.
I suggest that you discount recent reports from those who have made MPX purchases and were not reimbursed within a few days. American Express processes in batches. Periodically there are periods when fee reimbursements are not made. Each time this occurs there are those who assume that American Express has just now realized that they have been reimbursing gift card purchases for several years. This could happen, and when there is conclusive evidence it will appear in the Wikipost. It has not yet happened.
American Express knows this is a charade.
#2464
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 17,404
Have you read the Wikipost at the top of the thread?
I suggest that you discount recent reports from those who have made MPX purchases and were not reimbursed within a few days. American Express processes in batches. Periodically there are periods when fee reimbursements are not made. Each time this occurs there are those who assume that American Express has just now realized that they have been reimbursing gift card purchases for several years. This could happen, and when there is conclusive evidence it will appear in the Wikipost. It has not yet happened.
American Express knows this is a charade.
I suggest that you discount recent reports from those who have made MPX purchases and were not reimbursed within a few days. American Express processes in batches. Periodically there are periods when fee reimbursements are not made. Each time this occurs there are those who assume that American Express has just now realized that they have been reimbursing gift card purchases for several years. This could happen, and when there is conclusive evidence it will appear in the Wikipost. It has not yet happened.
American Express knows this is a charade.
While I'd PREFER to do an MPX purchase (Amazon sounds good), I'd happily take the $200 in UA gift card money if it's more reliable. Does that work? There's info that suggests it doesn't. I've seen reports in other forums that small GC purchases ($50 or less) on other airlines works. What about UA? And could I just do this 4 times?
As I said, I used to just dump $200 in my gift card registry at UA and was done with the process. That seems to be a bad strategy these days. Right?
Given how many flyertalkers must do this on a regular basis, I'm a bit surprised at how confusing this reimbursement info is.
#2466
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: IAD, TPE
Posts: 465
DPs:
11/11 $25 MPX - nothing so far
11/18 $25 MPX - reimbursed 11/20
11/21 $50 MPX - reimbursed 11/23
11/24 $100 MPX - nothing so far
11/25 $45 MPX - nothing so far
In batches? I don't think so, at least not in my scenario.
11/11 $25 MPX - nothing so far
11/18 $25 MPX - reimbursed 11/20
11/21 $50 MPX - reimbursed 11/23
11/24 $100 MPX - nothing so far
11/25 $45 MPX - nothing so far
In batches? I don't think so, at least not in my scenario.
#2467
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: NJ
Programs: United Silver, Hyatt, Marriott Gold, HHonors Gold, Amex Plat, Global Entry
Posts: 751
#2468
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: DC
Posts: 189
maybe there hasn't been a batch since 11/24 or whatnot?
#2469
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 30
Yes, I read the wiki page. But the most recent info would seem to contradict it.
While I'd PREFER to do an MPX purchase (Amazon sounds good), I'd happily take the $200 in UA gift card money if it's more reliable. Does that work? There's info that suggests it doesn't. I've seen reports in other forums that small GC purchases ($50 or less) on other airlines works. What about UA? And could I just do this 4 times?
As I said, I used to just dump $200 in my gift card registry at UA and was done with the process. That seems to be a bad strategy these days. Right?
Given how many flyertalkers must do this on a regular basis, I'm a bit surprised at how confusing this reimbursement info is.
While I'd PREFER to do an MPX purchase (Amazon sounds good), I'd happily take the $200 in UA gift card money if it's more reliable. Does that work? There's info that suggests it doesn't. I've seen reports in other forums that small GC purchases ($50 or less) on other airlines works. What about UA? And could I just do this 4 times?
As I said, I used to just dump $200 in my gift card registry at UA and was done with the process. That seems to be a bad strategy these days. Right?
Given how many flyertalkers must do this on a regular basis, I'm a bit surprised at how confusing this reimbursement info is.
#2470
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 17,404
Thanks. Maybe I'm confused when somebody talked about gift cards being dead. Must be referring to 3rd party gift cards.
#2471
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,952
https://www.united.com/CMS/en-US/pro...tificates.aspx
...those are NOT reimbursed.
That's separate from the Gift Registry:
https://www.united.com/CMS/en-US/pro...tRegistry.aspx
#2472
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 43
Nov 23 - $50 Posted MPX Amazon Gift Card
Still no reimbursement and still says $200 available.
Still no reimbursement and still says $200 available.
#2474
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Pacific Northwest
Programs: UA Gold 1MM, AS 75k, AA Plat, Bonvoyed Gold, Honors Dia, Hyatt Explorer, IHG Plat, ...
Posts: 16,798
UA calls them Gift Certificates:
https://www.united.com/CMS/en-US/pro...tificates.aspx
...those are NOT reimbursed.
https://www.united.com/CMS/en-US/pro...tificates.aspx
...those are NOT reimbursed.
"We've decided to discontinue the United gift certificate program, so gift certificates are no longer available for purchase."